Bear Digest

Has the Chicago Bears' Weakness At Defensive End Gotten Overblown?

Austin Booker had a solid season that would've looked a lot better if he would've been healthy the whole year. Did he do enough to carve out a role for himself next year?
Jerry Markarian|
Aug 17, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker (94) celebrates after sacking Buffalo Bills quarterback Mike White (14) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Aug 17, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker (94) celebrates after sacking Buffalo Bills quarterback Mike White (14) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

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A few weeks ago, I wrote that the defensive end spot was the Bears' third-most glaring weakness entering the offseason. Upon further reflection, I honestly think that was a mistake. If I had a mulligan, I definitely would've ranked edge rusher fourth (behind defensive tackle), or maybe even fourth (behind cornerback).

Would I still like to see them add an edge rusher early in the 2026 NFL Draft? Absolutely. It's a loaded group, and you can never have too many of them. That would also put them in a position to get out of Montez Sweat's contract going into 2027 (when they'd save $21 million and only incur a penalty of $4 million) if it's plausible to do so.

With that said, upon diving into more film (I've been feining for Bears football), defensive tackle was by far the most glaring weakness on the defensive side of the ball. Meanwhile, while they struggled mightily to get much rush off the edge early on in the year, Austin Booker fortified the defensive end spot as soon as he returned from injured reserve in Week 9.

Booker's stats might not jump off the page, but he would've been on pace for roughly eight sacks had he not been injured for the first seven weeks. That was also with approximately zero help from the interior pushing the pocket. He didn't luck into them, either. They were effort sacks, or downright 'I'm better than you' sacks, like the one he had against the Bengals.

He showed promise, and he showed it often. While he could still thrive as a situational pass-rusher, that doesn't mean he can't develop into anything more than that.

He was an extremely raw prospect coming out of the University of Kansas two years ago, and that caused him to fall to the fifth round. However, he flashed as a rookie and already showed a significant amount of growth in only his second season.

He was somewhat of a liability against the run in his rookie season, but shored up that area of his game dramatically in year two after putting on some playing weight in the offseason. He was thrown into the fire in that regard, too. I'm not sure Dennis Allen expected to utilize him on early downs this season (which could've been a factor in why it took them three weeks to activate him from IR), but he didn't have much of a choice after Dayo Odeyingbo suffered a torn Achilles in Week 8.

At only 23 years old, there's also no reason to believe that he can't continue to grow. While I previously mentioned that drafting a certified beast on the edge could allow him to thrive as a situational pass-rusher, I'm not sure that would be the best use of their assets. At least, not before adding someone to improve the interior.

Gervon Dexter Sr. has also shown flashes as a pass-rusher, but they've unfortunately been few and far between. He hasn't developed an ounce of consistency, and his run defense leaves much to be desired. Notably, he's also entering the final year of his rookie contract, and hasn't shown nearly enough to warrant an extension.

Grady Jarrett provided some much-needed leadership to Chicago's locker room after he signed with them in free agency last year, but he isn't nearly as dominant as he once was. He is entering the final stage of his career and would be much better off with a snap count. Big Andrew Billings is also scheduled to hit free agency, and they might not have enough money to pay him.

As far as the cornerback position goes, they have a massive question mark at the second corner spot opposite Jaylon Johnson. I thought it would be safe to pencil Tyrique Stevenson in there before this season, but that was before he got outright benched for Nahshon Wright. He's also entering the final year of his rookie deal, and I'd be shocked if they prioritize bringing him back at this rate.

I know 2025 fifth-round pick Zah Frazier is waiting in the wings for an opportunity to compete at corner, but he is also a complete unknown after spending his entire rookie year on the Non-Football Injury list. While I hope they'd prioritize the edge rusher spot early in the draft instead (based on how stacked this year's class is there), I wouldn't be floored if they drafted a cornerback early instead.

Austin Booker's development would certainly be on their mind if they do decide to go that route.

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Jerry Markarian
JERRY MARKARIAN

Jerry Markarian has been an avid Chicago Bears fan since 2010 and has been writing about the team since 2022. He has survived the 2010 NFC Championship Game, a career-ending injury to his favorite player (Johnny Knox), the Bears' 2013 season finale, a Double Doink, Mitchell Trubisky, Justin Fields, and Weeks 8-17 of the 2024 NFL season. Nevertheless, he still Bears Down!

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